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The lactation curve in cattle: a mathematical model of the mammary gland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

Heather D. St. C. Neal  and
J. H. M. Thornley
Heather D. St. C. Neal
Affiliation:
The Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 5LR
J. H. M. Thornley
Affiliation:
The Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 5LR
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Summary

A simple model of the mammary gland is described. In this model secretory cells are produced by cell division from undifferentiated cells, and the rate of division is determined by the level of a postulated hormone. The total activity of the milk secreting cells depends on the number of cells, substrate supply (assumed constant), and the amount of milk currently present in the animal. The secretory cells have a finite life, although their death may be expedited by milk remaining in the animal over a longer period of time. The model gives a good description of an experimental lactation curve; it is able to simulate the removal of milk by a suckling calf and machine milking with a variable number of milking periods a day.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 101 , Issue 2 , October 1983 , pp. 389 - 400
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

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